Other Departments Join Tulsa Police Computer Project
Melissa McClendon
Staff Reporter
Locust Grove School Resource Officer Karen Hershberger and Police Chief Nathan Raith played Santa during the Christmas Holiday delivering refurbished computers to five Locust Grove families.
The computers were furnished by The North Pole Project, part of PC Power. PC Power was founded by
the late Glenn DeWeese, a retired Tulsa Police Officer. DeWeese began building the computers for needy children as a Christmas project in 2003.
The computers are donated. PC Power refurbishes them and then they are given to children who need a computer. The North Pole project, which is part of PC Power, is a partnership between the Tulsa Police Department and many other area law enforcement agencies around northeast Oklahoma.
On Dec. 21, officers, including SRO Hershberger, met at the Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police Lodge to wrap the computers. Later the computers were delivered by officers in each community.
"We delivered three (computers) that evening," said Hershberger. On Christmas day, Hershberger and Chief Raith delivered the fourth computer. One computer remained to be delivered. Hershberger said they are still trying to get in touch with the family who will receive the computer.
"Thirteen children total in five families will benefit from the computers," Hershberger said. The children range in age from 2-15.
The children chosen to receive the computers were hand picked by the school resource officer with the help of the guidance counselors from the Locust Grove Public School system.
Hershberger said she spoke with each of the counselors and asked for the names of students who would benefit the most from having a home computer. Once five students were chosen, Hershberger had them fill out an application and submitted it to the North Pole Project. Each of the five students were awarded a computer.
Although this is the first time the Locust Grove P.D. has been involved in the North Pole Project, Hershberger said she would like to see it happen again.
"We’re going to try to do this as a yearly project for Christmas," Hershberger said.
To find out more about PC Power or the North Pole Project visit them online at www.tulsapcpower.org .
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